Mumbai : The Mumbai Congress on Saturday condemned the terror attack on an IAF base in Pathankot and cancelled a scheduled programme to felicitate a newly elected legislative council member here.
The act also helped the party to get a face-saver as a war of words between the different factions of the party erupted at the beginning of the programme.
The Mumbai unit of Congress party had organised a special meet to felicitate re-elected MLC Ashok (Bhai) Jagtap. Party cadres from across the city had gathered in large numbers at the MRCC headquarters. While party leaders including former MRCC chief and AICC general secretary Gurudas Kamat and current MRCC chief Sanjay Nirupam were at the office to discuss the programme, all of a sudden their supporters outside the office started sloganeering.
Kamat supporters started hailing their leader and in retaliation Nirupam supporters too started shouting “Sanjay Nirupam Jindabad”. Sensing the trouble MLA Aslam Sheikh, a known Nirupam supporter moved to the dais and appealed the party workers to observe silence as the nation in grieving for martyrs in the terror attack at Pahankot. He also announced that the felicitation programme is being cancelled in wake of the terror attack.
However, party sources said that one of the factions is trying to oust incumbent MRCC chief Sanjay Nirupam over the goof-up in party mouthpiece where an article heavily criticized Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Earlier this week at the North-West district meet of the party the demand for ouster of Nirupam was raised.
“Had the programme not been cancelled, Nirupam would have faced a tough time,” a Kamat supporter told FPJ. Another MRCC member said that the terror attack at Pathankot acted as a face-saver for the party today.
Some other members also said that Kamat, Krupa and Nasim factions have joined hands against Nirupam and a section from Mumbai Congress is preparing to meet party VC Rahul Gandhi as soon as he returns to Delhi, to demand Nirupam’s ouster. Though Nirupam has apologised for the goof up and also acted against the content editor, other leaders are trying to project it as a deliberate attempt against the first family of the party.
“Mumbai Congress strongly condemns the terror attacks and pays homage to the martyred soldiers. We appeal to the government to take strongest steps to view the issue seriously and ensure security in the country,” Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said after the programme was cancelled. Criticising the attacks, senior Congress legislator Sanjay Dutt said: “Can terror and talks go together? The Prime Minister owes an explanation to the nation.”
